>>I’d rather my kids stay with me rather than some rat infested, crime ridden apartment just to be on their own.<<
You would do them no kindness. It is through adversity we grow. A soft landing makes for flabby reflexes.
You forget that many times the parents are struggling too.
The unemployment for people over age 50 that were laid off is even worse than the unemployment for the youth.
The family living together and pooling their money to pay for the family home starts to look attractive.
“A soft landing makes for flabby reflexes”.
So, what are you teaching them really? That the umbilical cord is severed and they are completely on their own? Sorry... but if a child of mine lost his or her job and couldn’t find another one quickly... that is what a parent does. Of course, there are specific rules and guidelines and the invitation can be taken back at any time due to laziness etc... Maybe I was raised differently with respect to family and helping them in their time of need.
Your solution might seem cold to some but I agree with you. If a person doesn’t learn to struggle, they will never achieve earned success.
I am not sure what has happened but the notion of struggling is being removed from the psyche of the American people. We used to be a country of pioneers. From the beginning of our nation we struggled. We created a great country and it was filled with hardworking people that struggled for a better life. These days, if the struggle gets difficult the first reaction is to let the government fix it. A once proud and self-reliant country is turning into a dependent mess.